An already thin Marlins' starting rotation lost another pitcher Sunday.
And for how long remains to be seen.
Wei-Yin Chen will not make his scheduled start after being placed on the 15-day disabled list due to elbow soreness he experienced following his most recent start this past Wednesday in Philadelphia. The move is retroactive to this past Thursday.
The Marlins recalled Jarred Cosart, who opened the season in the rotation and went 0-1 with a 7.98 ERA in three starts, from Triple-A New Orleans to replace Chen on the mound Monday night when the Marlins face the Phillies at home.
"Wei-Yin came in after the last start a little tender in his elbow," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "We have to be cautious. We can't afford to let that thing get away from us. So we're going to be cautious and bring in Jarred."
On Sunday, Jose Urena gave the Marlins a second solid start in a row since being recalled this past Tuesday.
But Chen's injury further weakens the depth of a team already searching for potential trade options before the Aug. 1 deadline to bolster a rotation that has been without a consistent fifth starter throughout the season.
Chen said following Sunday's game he hopes some extended rest will relieve the issue and that he wasn't planning on seeing a doctor for now.
"We had some discussions between me, the manager and the pitching coach and we're going to give it a few days rest and go from there," Chen said. "The hope is after that it will get better."
Chen, whom the Marlins signed to a five-year, $80 million deal in the offseason, is 5-4 with a 4.99 ERA in 19 starts (110 innings).
The quality of his starts has been erratic this season.
Chen has struck out 89 and walked only 23, but has allowed a team-high 20 home runs, which is double the amount of the next-highest given up by Tom Koehler and Adam Conley (10) and tied for the fourth-most allowed by a qualifying National League starter.
"Anytime guys come up sore, there's something going on," Mattingly said. "Guys have it over time. You just hope you're keeping it something that's not serious. That's why we're going to be cautious on the side of him missing a spot here and then see where it goes."
Chen's scheduled bullpen session Saturday was canceled.
In his most recent start Wednesday in Philadelphia, Chen threw 5 1/3 innings and gave up four runs.
Chen, who turned 31 this past Thursday, is in his fifth season and had only one previous stint on the DL in 2013 while pitching for the Orioles when he missed nearly two months with an oblique injury.
"I'm assuming we'll do all the stuff they've gone through," Mattingly said. "I know they've been doing some testing already. I think [Marlins President of Baseball Operations] Michael [Hill] called it an elbow sprain or something like that.
"Again, we don't think it's anything crazy, but we also want to be cautious knowing that he's feeling something."
Cosart will make his first start since April 22 in San Francisco when he gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings and was sent to the minors two days later.
Cosart spent a month on the minor-league disabled list with a strained oblique and has gone 3-4 with a 4.09 ERA in 10 starts for New Orleans since his demotion.
For his career, Cosart is 16-18 with a 3.74 in 57 career appearances, all but one of which have been starts. Cosart went 2-5 with a 4.52 ERA in 2015 when his season was cut short. Cosart was limited to only 13 starts (14 appearances) due to bouts with vertigo.
"The reports from Triple A are that [Cosart]'s the guy right now throwing the ball better than anyone else down there," Mattingly said. "He's earned this start."
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